Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) has disputed the academic qualifications of Kimilili MP Didmus Wekesa Barasa, saying he was never a student at the university and was not awarded a Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering degree.
The university made the finding in a letter dated September 14, 2026, addressed to the Secretary General of the Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) by JKUAT Registrar (Academic Affairs) Dr Aggrey Wanyama. According to the letter, JKUAT checked its records and established that Barasa’s name does not appear in its alumni records. The university also said it did not have a graduation ceremony in May 2008.
JKUAT consequently stated that the certificate attributed to its Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering programme was “NOT GENUINE.” The university said the matter had previously been investigated by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK), adding that the same information had been communicated to the two institutions.
Questions over Barasa’s academic and professional records were publicly raised in 2021, when reports indicated that EACC was examining information concerning his qualifications, including the JKUAT degree listed on his parliamentary profile. Barasa later challenged EACC’s investigations in the High Court. In a 2022 case, he sought orders stopping further investigations and challenged an EACC letter dated September 23, 2021.
The disputed qualification had previously appeared on Barasa’s profile on the National Assembly website. An older version of the profile listed him as having studied Electrical and Electronic Engineering at JKUAT between 2001 and 2005 and having graduated with Second Class Honours, Upper Division.
The current parliamentary profile no longer lists the JKUAT degree. The discrepancy between the earlier parliamentary record and JKUAT’s latest verification has therefore raised questions over the academic qualification previously attributed to Barasa.
JKUAT’s letter does not establish who produced or presented the disputed certificate. Any determination on whether an individual forged or knowingly used a false document would require findings by the relevant investigative or prosecutorial authorities.
According to the Parliament of Kenya website, Kimilili MP Didmus Wekesa Barasa holds several academic qualifications.
He obtained a Graduate Diploma in Security Systems Audit from the University of Sydney, Australia, between 2008 and 2009. During the same period, he pursued a Master of Occupational, Health, Security and Safety Science at the University of Queensland, Australia, graduating with Distinction.
Earlier, between 2001 and 2005, Barasa reportedly studied at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, graduating with Second Class Honours, Upper Division. JKUAT has since dismissed this claim by the MP.
He completed his secondary education at Kimilili Secondary School between 1996 and 2000, where he obtained his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
